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TRAVEL NEWS

Flights, trains and ferries: Spain’s new international travel routes in 2023

The year 2023 will bring with it some new international travel routes to and from Spain. Here's all you need to know about getting to Spain by air, rail and sea this year.

Published: 3 January 2023 17:11 CET
Updated: 15 January 2023 08:59 CET
Flights, trains and ferries: Spain's new international travel routes in 2023
The new transport routes to Spain in 2023. Photo: JOSEP LAGO / AFP

It looks like 2023 is going to be a good year for travel if you live in Spain as there are many new transport routes, reaching cities across the country. While some are entirely new routes, others will be starting up again after stopping during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

From Madrid:

  • Cathay Pacific started flying to Hong Kong, China on October 2nd, 2022 and will continue into the new year.
  • Korean Air will be connecting Madrid with Seoul, Korea from March 26th, 2023 with three flights a week.
  • Norwegian Air will be operating routes between Copenhagen, Denmark and the Spanish capital from June 22nd 2023 twice a week.
  • Aeroméxico will be offering flights to both Monterrey and Guadalajara in Mexico from March 2023 with 3-5 per week and from June 1st, 2023 one per day. 

From Barcelona:

  • United Airlines will be flying between Barcelona and Chicago, US from May 6th 2023 (seasonal service only).
  • Level airlines started to operate flights between the Catalan capital and Santiago, Chile from October 30th 2022, 3 times a week and then 4 times from December 5th 2022.
  • Level also started offering 5-7 flights a week to Buenos Aires, Argentina from November 5th, 2022 and will continue to do so in 2023. 

READ ALSO: Everything that changes about travel in Spain in 2023

From Málaga:

  • United Airlines will be offering flights between the Andalusian city and New York three times a week from May 31st 2023. 
  • Eurowings will be opening the first direct flight from mainland Spain to Cape Verde from April 2023, which will operate twice per week. 

From Murcia:

  • easyJet will be launching a new route between Manchester, UK and Murcia between March 28th and September 26th, 2023 with four weekly flights.
  • The airline will also be running routes between London, Luton and Murcia three times a week from April 1st 2023. 

From Vigo:

  • Air Nostrum will connect Vigo with London three times a week in the high season and two in low season from April 2023.

From Bilbao:

  • Low-cost airline Volotea will be offering a new route between the Basque city and Marrakech, Morocco from May 27th 2023.
  • Air Cairo also launched a new route between Bilbao and the Egyptian capital from October 31st 2022. 

Ferries

Brittany ferries will be opening up and selling its routes to Spain from March 2023. 

  • Portsmouth to Bilbao – Two sailings per week (31 hours 30 mins to 36 hours overnight (two-night). 
  • Portsmouth to Santander – Two sailings per week (28 hours 30 mins to 33 hours 30 mins overnight or two-night). 
  • Plymouth to Santander – Two sailings per week (20 hours 15 mins overnight). 
  • Rosslare, Ireland to Bilbao – Brittany Ferries also launched the Rosslare, Ireland to Bilbao mini cruise in late 2022 and will be continuing this offering in 2023. The Salamanca will sail from Rosslare to Bilbao twice weekly. The journey will take around hours with one to two nights spent on board.

And within Spain…

Trains

Iryo – From March 31st 2023, the new high-speed rail operator Iryo which launched in November 2022, will start running trains from Madrid to Seville, Málaga, Córdoba and Antequera in the southwestern region of Andalusia. And on June 2nd, it intends to launch its route to the eastern coastal city of Alicante (via Albacete). 

Ouigo

Ouigo, another high-speed train network, also plans on extending its network in 2023 and towards the end of the year will offer round trips to Seville, Málaga, and Córdoba from Madrid. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Your questions answered on the UK’s new £10 entry fee for European travellers

From next year, European travellers visiting the UK will be required to pay a £10 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in order to enter. The Local answers your questions on what that means for people living in the EU or EEA, including EU spouses and dual nationals.

Published: 13 September 2024 12:10 CEST
Your questions answered on the UK's new £10 entry fee for European travellers

The UK has introduced an electronic travel authorisation scheme known as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for people paying short visits such as tourists of those visiting family members.

The ETA – which costs £10, lasts for two years and must be applied for online in advance of your trip – is already in place for citizens of some countries, but in the spring of 2025 it will be expanded to include EU and EEA citizens such as French, German or Swiss nationals.

You can find full details of the scheme and how it works here.

The UK government information is largely geared towards tourists, and readers of The Local had questions – especially on how the changes affect people with residency in an EU or EEA country, on the position for EU spouses of a UK national and the changes for dual nationals.

Does this affect Brits who are resident in an EU/EEA country?

This system all depends on the passport you are travelling on, not where you live or whether you have a residency permit for another country.

So in short if you are travelling on your UK passport, you will be treated like every other Brit and won’t need an ETA. If you are a dual national, it depends on the passport you are travelling on (more on that below).

However Brits who have an EU partner or spouse (who don’t have a British passport) should be aware that the changes will apply to their spouse.

Does this limit stays in the UK for EU citizens who are married to a Brit?

ETA, like the EU’s new EES biometric passport checks and ETIAS visa waiver, does not change any of the existing rules around immigration or long-stay visas.

At present, citizens of a number of countries – including all EU/EEA countries and a number of non-EU countries such as the USA and Canada – benefit from visa-free travel to the UK for short visits. Those people can stay in the UK for up to 180 days per year without needing a visa, although they cannot work in the UK.

This category would cover tourists and people making short visits to family. Anyone who wants to stay longer than 180 days in a year, or who wants to work in the UK, would need a visa or to apply for residency through other routes such as the EU Settled Status scheme. This includes EU nationals who have a British spouse.

What changes under ETA is that the people making short stays will no longer benefit from visa-free travel – instead they must apply online for the ETA visa before travel.

Those who wish to stay longer or to work in the UK must apply for the relevant visa or residency permit type, exactly as they do now.

What about Irish passport holders?

The exception to these rules is for people travelling on an Irish passport. Because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, those travelling on an Irish passport will not be required to get an ETA, and in fact nothing changes for them.

The exemption only applies if you are using your Irish passport to travel – if you have an Irish passport but are using another non-UK passport to travel you will be treated according to the passport you present. 

Likewise, UK nationals are also exempt from the requirement – but only if they are using their UK passport to travel.

Do children need an ETA?

Yes, everyone entering the UK will need an ETA, including children and babies. The travel authorisation costs £10 for everyone – unlike the EU’s ETIAS, there is no cost exemption for over 70s or under 18s.

Do I need an ETA as an airline transit passenger? That seems mad if I’m only passing through the airport?

Yes, an ETA is required for everyone, even if you’re only passing through a UK airport as part of a connecting flight. This has sparked fury from the UK’s ‘hub’ airports such as Heathrow, where bosses say the change could cost them up to 4 million passengers a year.

The government says: “Requiring transit passengers to obtain an ETA stops people who may use connecting flights to avoid gaining permission to travel to the UK.”

What about dual nationals?

The key thing for dual nationals to remember is that your passports are not ‘linked’ – so the immigration official that you present your passport to has no way of knowing that you also have the passport of another country.

Dual nationals are therefore treated according to the passport they present. So let’s say you have a UK passport and an Italian one – if you travel to the UK on the UK passport, you will not need an ETA. However if you travel on the Italian passport you will need an ETA.

It is perfectly legal to use two passports while making a trip, so that you can enter the UK showing your UK passport and then on your return to Italy show the Italian passport – this allows you to avoid the formalities for foreigners in both countries. If you are doing this, you will just need to take care when supplying Advance Passenger Information (API) to your travel provider that you are supplying the right information for the passport that you will be using for each leg of the journey.

When does this start?

The ETA requirement is already in place for citizens of certain countries and then will continue the roll-out in two subsequent stages.

Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already need an ETA to enter the UK. From January 8th 2025 it will be extended to citizens of all non-EU/non-EEA countries and then from April 2nd it will be required for all EU/EEA citizens (with the exception of Ireland). Find the full list of countries here.

How do I get the ETA?

You apply and pay online before you travel – the UK government says that applications should be processed within three working days but that some could take longer. You cannot enter the UK until your application is processed.

Once issued, the ETA lasts for two years and allows multiple trips – although if your passport is renewed during that two-year period you will have to apply for a new ETA.

Find full details of how to apply here.

Why is the UK doing this?

It’s a security measure and is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders. The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”, a government spokesman said.

It is very similar to the EU’s ETIAS visa waiver – due to come into effect in the spring of 2025 – and the US’s ESTA visa, which has been required for all visitors since 2009.

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